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Co-constructed co-signed gestures (CoCos)

A gesture-based second language teaching toolkit developed in Indigenous contexts

 | Australian National University
 | Queensland Department of Education
 | Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative
ORCiD logo with link | University of Sydney
 | Western Sydney University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with The University of Sydney.

Published online: 12 January 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.25008.ang
Abstract
This article presents co-constructed co-signed gestures (CoCos), a toolkit for second language (L2) teaching in which gestures are developed by teacher and students, together, as a device for understanding and representing the meaning or function of each element of sentences selected from a spoken or written focus text. We trace the emergence of CoCos from L2 English teaching for Indigenous Australian students, through to its application to the revival of traditional Indigenous languages that have not been used as the main language of daily communication amongst community members for several generations. Through four case studies, in the form of teacher reflective reports based on their observational data, the authors explain how we have used CoCos with preschool through to adult learners, as an engaging pedagogy that harnesses continuing multimodal communication practices in Indigenous communities for language teaching today. As a collective of insider teachers, teacher educators, and researchers in Indigenous contexts, we have learned from each other, a factor that has inspired our analysis of the case studies through a teacher professional development lens. More broadly, the analysis sheds light on the importance of enhancing the strategies and confidence of classroom teachers who are both new to L2 teaching and under-supported in it. This study fills significant gaps in the literature on local L2 teaching approaches in classroom settings, and L2 teacher professional development in Indigenous Australian contexts, whether for English language teaching or the teaching of Indigenous languages being revived from historical sources.
Article outline
  • 1.Language teachers and learners in Indigenous Australian contexts
    • 1.1English as L2 in Indigenous contexts
    • 1.2Traditional Indigenous languages as L2
    • 1.3L2 teacher training and support
  • 2.Co-constructed co-signed gestures (CoCos)
    • 2.1How CoCos relate to the literature on gesture in L2 teaching
    • 2.2Continuing communicative practices
  • 3.CoCos in action: Case study methodology
    • 3.1Denise Angelo: Teaching English to Indigenous learners
    • 3.2Jasmine Seymour: Dharug in Sydney for several age groups
    • 3.3Christopher Day: Year 5 learners of Jandai
    • 3.4Michael Jarrett and Susan Poetsch: Gumbaynggirr language teachers
  • 4.Case study analysis: Uptake of CoCos through a teacher professional development lens
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Artificial Intelligence disclosure statement
  • Note
  • References
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